


Camouflage

by Mossbeast



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Based on a song, Hero Worship, M/M, Major character death means major character death, big sad, idk how to tag this, survivor's guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:28:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27177226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mossbeast/pseuds/Mossbeast
Summary: Darkness fell quietly and suddenly, and Roronoa Zoro, PFC of the marine corps, was stuck out in the jungle all by himself. He was barely old enough to even be in the army, let alone a war all across the globe, and yet here he was. Drenched in sweat and soaked to the bones in mud, with an empty gun and enemy movement within hearing range.He'd never thought this was how he'd die.
Kudos: 3





	Camouflage

**Author's Note:**

> This is big sad, but I had to.
> 
> I lost someone to Afghanistan and I never got the chance to visit her grave. So... Yeah.  
> Also it'd be kinda pointless to visit it because they never recovered her body.
> 
> Sorryyyyyy.

Darkness fell quietly and suddenly, and Roronoa Zoro, PFC of the marine corps, was stuck out in the jungle all by himself. He was barely old enough to even be in the army, let alone a war all across the globe, and yet here he was. Drenched in sweat and soaked to the bones in mud, with an empty gun and enemy movement within hearing range.

He'd never thought this was how he'd die.  
Somehow he'd always pictured a small house and a big white dog named just like his favorite stuffed animal, and a lot of nieces and nephews. He'd dreamed of the hero's welcome at the end of the war, the one he'd been promised by his parents, the recruiter and national media. 

He never considered the possibility of returning in a metal box with a folded flag on top. 

A twig snapped close to him and he pressed his back firmly against the tree he leaned on, gripping his gun tighter. He might he out of ammo, but steel still carried a heavy punch at close range. By God he hoped the others had made it out, had completed their mission. He hoped he'd be the only casualty.  
Suddenly there was movement at his shoulder and Zoro nearly yelled as he prepared to swing his gun at - at another marine.

Truly? The uniform was USMC, no doubts about that, but he'd never seen this dude around. He looked friendly enough, though. Tall, broad shoulders, tattoos on his hands that spelled _DEATH_ across his knuckles, big brown eyes that looked a little tired, but with laugh lines crinkling the corners.

"Wait.

"If Charlie wants to tangle now, he'll have two to dodge."

Up until then he could have sworn that such a dumb statement wouldn't flood his system his relief and his eyes with tears.  
"Fuck.. Thanks a lot, man. I'm PFC Roronoa Zoro. Who're you?"  
"Oh... The boys just call me Camouflage. We'll keep that."  
"Alright, Camouflage. What now?"  
"We wait. They're still setting up and thus extra careful. We're hitting them when they're done, before our boys move out. Sound good?"

Zoro just nodded. He was so incredibly glad to have the big marine with a plan at his side, he didn't want to ask too many questions. They huddled closer together for warmth.  
"Here, I brought the raincloak. If you sit between my legs we can cover both of us and trap as much body heat as possible", Camouflage said. Zoro moved in gladly, violently shivering as wet as he was. Jungle nights were awfully cold, but still unbelievably humid.  
"The climate makes a lot of the boys sick. And if it's not the climate, it's either the food gone bad or the tropical diseases." Camouflage started playing with Zoro's long, green hair. He desperately needed a cut, he could already tie it into a neat ponytail, but there were no scissors around. He briefly wondered how Camouflage managed to look so put together. Perhaps he was in a different unit and only here by accident. How far had Zoro come off track?  
He felt long, dexterous fingers exploring the shell of his left ear and playing along the lobe, hesitating for a split second over the empty piercings.  
"Do you know what this means, Zoro-ya?", he asked lightly. Zoro swallowed, and nodded. He was a fairy. He wouldn't deny it, but he also wouldn't ever dream of telling anyone out of nowhere. What did it mean that Camouflage knew the sign?  
Either he was homophobic and Zoro would bleed out by his trench knife within the next two minutes, or he was indifferent and truly wanted to get out of here by any means, or he was _gay himself_. And wouldn't that be the greatest treat of all?  
Because Camouflage was, on first glance, _everything_ Zoro wanted out of a man. Strong, handsome, intelligent and silent. And a little on the handsy side. He let his head fall back against Camouflage's shoulder.  
"What if I did?" Long fingers moved down the column of his throat, tracing his collar bones. Zoro swallowed heavily and for a moment, the fingers tightened the most miniscule bit against his Adam's apple.  
"I would appreciate that greatly, Zoro-ya", Camouflage whispered against Zoro's ear, curling his other arm around Zoro's waist. "If you're willing, that is."  
"Oh yeah", Zoro breathed. "We can't be caught doing this at the camp. It's either now or never. And honestly, I'd die of shame if I didn't take you up on that offer."  
Camouflage chuckled and started kissing and biting at Zoro's neck, tasting his sweat and tears from earlier in the day. Zoro arched into his chest, legs falling wide open and hands scrambling to open his trousers. Camouflage batted his hand away and rubbed up and down the seam against Zoro's quickly filling cock, teasing and playing with the willing man slouched between his legs. Zoro grasped at anything for purchase and hooked his fingers into Camouflage's pant pockets.

The whole thing was quick and messy, and when Camouflage had Zoro lick his cum off of his hand, Zoro felt like he could come again. He didn't, it wasn't even close, but the air of authority Camouflage carried was the hottest thing ever. He'd have to do his damndest to find him once the whole mess here was over. 

They rested within each other's arms comfortably for a few hours until a light tap at his shoulder roused Zoro from his relaxed snooze.  
Camouflage used the marine hand signs to explain to Zoro how he wanted to maneuver the attack. Zoro nodded and strapped his gun to his back, drawing his knife instead and moving behind Camouflage through the thick forest. Camouflage really deserved his name, he bled into the shadows and disappeared, no rustling leaves or snapping twigs. He moved like a ghost. They killed three enemy soldiers without drawing any attention to themselves, but their luck ran out after that.  
Bullets started flying and for a second, Zoro thought it was all over, when Camouflage pulled him down. "Stay", he whispered close to Zoro's ear. "I'm a bit quicker on my own." 

And with that he took off, slithering through the undergrowth and muddy grass, bullets seemingly deflected by some invisible shield, or passing right through him. He was there, and then he wasn't. Quick and silent, undeniably lethal, the picture perfect marine. He really was damn good. Zoro desperately wished they'd make it out of here. There was a strangled yell and the constant barrage of shots from Camouflage's direction ceased. Tough dog. Zoro grinned and moved towards one of the other gun nests. Camouflage came up at his shoulder, just like the night before, no sound indicating his movement, with a proud smirk and a tiny bite and lick to Zoro's pierced ear.  
"Camp is about two miles down river. If we make a run for it, we can get there before the boys move out." Zoro nodded and licked his lips, really desperately hoping for a kiss goodbye by the friendly marine. "Yeah alright, Zoro-ya. C'mere big boy."

It seemed that everything about Camouflage was long, his legs, his fingers, his tongue. Zoro grabbed the rain jacket tightly while the marine plundered his mouth, grabbed his ass and kneaded it. Zoro ground against him desperately and Camouflage chuckled, moving one hand to cradle Zoro's head. When they parted, Zoro's lips felt hot red and swollen, tingling with the intensity of the kiss they'd shared. Camouflage placed the hand with which he'd been groping Zoro's ass against Zoro's heart, and Zoro felt as though the long fingers were icily burning through his uniform and skin, melting through bone to caress his beating heart deep in his chest. He stared up at the marine, took in the thoughtful expression that seemed a million miles away, and leaned forward to peck him on the lips.  
"Let's get out of here, Camouflage. The jungle ain't getting friendlier." A barely there nod was the only confirmation he received and then they took off, not caring about the noise because they'd already taken care of every enemy in the vicinity.

Or so they thought. 

The camp was within their sights when suddenly a bullet came flying at Zoro. He was sure it wore his name, proudly, because it'd be the one, after all those failed attempts last night. Camouflage jumped towards it and Zoro swore he saw the marine _smack the goddamn piece of lead out of trajectory_. He stared, a little dumbfounded, and Camouflage fucking winked.  
"Go, boy. I'll take care of this and then I'm right behind you."  
Zoro nodded and took off, almost crying out in joy when he registered the soldiers up on the watchtower pointing their guns at him. "It's me, Zoro, I made it! I made it!", he yelled. The gate swung open and his CO, together with a medic and his point man, ran out to greet him and help him back to base.  
The medic fussed over Zoro, declaring mild hypothermia and a few deeper scratches that needed cleaning, but no bullet wounds, not even superficial, no concussion or broken bones.

"You're one lucky kid, Roronoa Zoro", his CO mused.  
"Nah, couldn't have made it without Camouflage. He really kicked ass out there", Zoro answered easily.  
Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. "Who did you say..?"  
"Camouflage. Tall, maybe even a bit on the lanky side, has DEATH tattooed on his knuckles. He said he'll be right behind me."  
"Oh we know him alright", the medic said. "But he was here the entire time. Actually passed away last night. Said his last wish was to save a young marine caught in a barrage and then _semper fi_."  
"Well fuck."  
"He'd probably want you to have his tags, soldier. I don't doubt he went out there before he left. Law was always a creepy motherfucker. Never even bothered to hide that he was gay and still the army practically begged him to join."  
Zoro smirked to himself and nodded. "I'd appreciate that, sir. He really saved my ass and I want to remember him."

The war didn't end, the soldiers were simply ordered back home. Zoro felt pretty empty, all the promises and hopes unfulfilled left a bitter aftertaste. He still had to hide who he was from everyone, but at least setting up Camouflage's - Trafalgar D. Water Law 's - picture, flag and dog tags could be explained by getting his hide saved by him. No one dared ask twice about the bond between two soldiers. It wasn't right, especially when one of them was six feet under. 

When he'd returned home, he'd tried hard to locate Law's family, only to be told that Law had no one waiting for him. He knew there were more than a few assholes who would gladly destroy any information about fairy soldiers, but Law's records seemed untouched. He traveled to his hometown, tried asking about the marine, but few people knew him and most of them were hesitant to talk.  
Apparently he'd lost his family at an early age and had been taken in by an unapologetically gay man with ties to the notorious Don Quixote family.  
Zoro sat in front of the city's memorial wall on a cold, uncomfortable bench, and considered what he had learned about his savior. He hadn't had a nice life, and dying in the jungle from a nasty infection to a minor scrape didn't really make it any better. But he'd been a hero. He'd built a reputation for himself for being the quickest, sneakiest motherfucker in the jungle. He glared at the memorial wall, where Law's name pointedly had been placed at the very bottom, as though he'd done nothing important.  
"Semper Fi, Camouflage", Zoro whispered hoarsely. "I won't forget you."  
"You the guy who's been asking about Law?", a girl approached him. She had curly brown hair that she tried to contain with a yellow and orange striped bandana.  
"Who's asking?"  
"I am."  
"And you are..?", Zoro trailed off, staring at her.  
"We were friends. He promised he'd come back, but he didn't. It's been years since we put him to rest and now _you_ show up, go dragging his memory back up to the front of everyone's mind. Why?"  
"He.. I got separated from my team during a mission. Out in the jungle on my own, by nightfall, no map, no compass, no ammo. He showed up out of nowhere and saved my ass. Sneaky motherfucker. To this day I swear he swatted a bullet with my name on it away like a nasty fly. I just wanted to tell someone that he did real good out there. Soldiers loved him. We called him Camouflage because no one ever saw him coming. I almost clocked him in the jaw when I was alone in the jungle. He crawled into a gun nest by his damn self because he figured on his own his chances would be better." He swallowed heavily, rubbing his thumb over the dog tags, the familiar ridges of the indentations soothing him. "Didn't mean to hurt anyone around here. I just... I wanted you to know that a lot of men owe him their lives, and no one judged him for being who he was once they got to know him."  
"You loved him, didn't you?"  
"Don't know if it's that, I only knew him for a night. You see, when I was stuck out there in the jungle, he was on his deathbed because he caught a fever that wouldn't go down. And yet, he was out there. They tell me his last wish was to save a young marine caught in a barrage. He shared a rain jacket with me because the jungle gets so fucking cold that I would have died out there on my own. Some people call it survivor's guilt, others hero worship. I wanna say love but... I really don't know. Only know the stories and that one night out in enemy territory. But if that's who he was... Then yeah."

The woman pulled a tissue out of her jacket pocket and dabbed at the corners of her eyes.  
"Thanks for telling me. We'll remember those stories about him." She stared at the wall for a minute, then said: "He's been interred at the local graveyard." Then she moved away, leaving Zoro to himself.  
Zoro got up from the bench, nodded at the memorial and moved away from the wall and back onto the busy streets. He asked a passersby for the way to the cemetery and spent a good while wandering through the endless rows of men and women who'd given the ultimate sacrifice. He found Law's cross soon enough, someone had placed a flat stone with a weird smiley face painted on it at the foot of the cross, and sat down in front of it. He pulled a flask out of his jacket pocket and set it between them.  
"Never been closer to death, Camouflage. And still. Best night of my life. I miss you every day. Keep wondering what could have happened. You know? Sharing a house, telling everyone we're each other's crutches, a dog perhaps. Defiling every surface in the house when no one's watching. I know you wouldn't be entirely against it. I mean.. We were in the middle of enemy territory, and you started something anyway. Well. It's not like you went out there because you knew a gay soldier was stuck. 'm still grateful, though. Like I said, best night of my life."  
He took a sip from the little flask, then emptied a little onto the ground. "They gave me your tags, you know? I always wear them. Figured because I have a set, I can leave you mine. Man I hope it actually meant something to you, Camouflage. Otherwise I'd feel like a proper idiot." He dug through his pocket and pulled out his own tags. Careful not to break the chain he fumbled one of the two off and hung the chain over the top of the cross. He watched the little piece of metal settle against the white wood and rubbed his nose. Night was crawling in, clawing at warmth and and light and Zoro shivered, rubbing his arms and watching his breath ghost in front of his face like a white cloud. He didn't know what he was waiting for, but he kept his vigil. 

"Semper fi", he finally whispered, voice thick with emotion and unshed tears, when he couldn't stand the cold any longer. He didn't know if he'd be back, he'd said his piece and Camouflage - _Trafalgar Law_ \- hadn't answered.

Not that Zoro had expected any different.

**Author's Note:**

> The song I'm going off is Camouflage, the cover version by Sabaton. It's.. Kinda nice.
> 
> They normally base their songs off actual stories but I'm not sure about this one. Anyway.  
> Doesn't matter. 
> 
> I know a lot of people have a lot of problems with the military and so do I, but I didn't write any of those into the story because it didn't feel right. I mean. Fallen soldier's memorial doesn't necessarily have to be critical of a system. This is purely about the sacrifices some people (have to) make for whatever reasons they believe in. Can't hate them for it, even if their sacrifices are painful and sometimes utterly useless in the grand scheme of things.


End file.
